Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans are used to being envied. The Steelers are an almost perennial playoff team and have a record six Super Bowl trophies, including two titles since 2005. This success means that their fans will be fairly unaccustomed to the dark cloud hanging over Pittsburgh this offseason.

Not only did the Steelers miss out on the playoffs, but they also saw two of their divisional rivals, the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, make the postseason, with the former eventually lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy. Throw into the mix the aging defense, inconsistent offense and salary cap constraints, and you can see the challenge that lays ahead for the Steelers’ front office.

Pittsburgh may not have been at their vintage best at any point last season, the loss of Ben Roethlisberger for several games due to injury was almost directly responsible for their omission from the playoffs. If the importance of keeping Roethlisberger upright and healthy wasn’t clear before, it certainly is now.

By drafting David DeCastro and Mike Adams last year, General Manager Kevin Colbert will be fairly confident he has a good, young offensive line developing, especially with the likes of Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert already on the roster. If Colbert can find the cap space, a far from easy task, he may look to add a veteran guard in free agency and add some much needed experience to the unit.

Indeed, finding salary space will be an unenviable challenge for Colbert, with Pittsburgh’s top 10 salaries currently accounting for just over $100 million. The consequences of this will almost certainly see wide receiver Mike Wallace hit free agency, and unless serious salary cap sacrifices are made, the Steelers will struggle to enthuse youth into their ageing defense in free agency.

Pittsburgh’s arch-rivals, the Ravens, have had similar issues in recent years, coping with an ageing defense and relatively little cap room. As much as Steelers’ fans will not want to hear it, they could learn a lot from the Ravens, and their GM Ozzie Newsome, who have arguably coped with these issues much better than the Steelers.

Pittsburgh defensive veterans Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ike Taylor, James Harrison and Brett Keisel are all now well into their 30s and will account for nearly $40 million in cap space in 2013.

Offensively, the loss of Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator last season and the arrival of Todd Haley, hurt the Steelers. The deep threat of Wallace was rarely used and Pittsburgh were uncharacteristically poor in their running game, ranked 26^th in the NFL. This was certainly not helped by the mercurial form of the Steelers’ running backs, with no back in particular shining consistently throughout the season.

Once again, Colbert will be limited as to what he can do offensively in free agency. Along with Head Coach Mike Tomlin, he will need to decide whether or not there is a running back currently with the Steelers of starting quality, whilst a slot receiver in the mould of Wes Welker would be a perfect fit for Haley’s offense, but neither will come cheap, and instead may be looked for in the draft.

Even with all the challenges that face the Steelers in this offseason, a team which features a player of Roethlisberger’s quality at quarterback, and a coach as talented as Tomlin, will undoubtedly be competitive next season. With the team continuing to age on defense however, this offseason, and specifically the draft, could prove to be critical in ensuring long-term competitiveness with both the Ravens and the Bengals in the AFC North.

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New York and Pittsburgh, U.S.A. – PepsiCo announced on July 23, 2012, a multi-year relationship with the Pittsburgh Steelers to be the franchise’s exclusive non-alcoholic beverage, salty snacks and sports fuel provider. The deal marks the Steelers first partnership with PepsiCo’s expanded portfolio, which includes iconic brands such as Pepsi, Frito-Lay and Gatorade.

As part of the new sponsorship, PepsiCo will gain exclusive selling, dispensing and serving rights at Heinz Field; fixed stadium signage; venue and team sponsor assets; integration into the team’s mobile, TV and digital assets; and local media and retail promotional opportunities. The stadium conversion will be complete by the start of the Steelers’ 2012 season.

PepsiCo will also be introducing a limited-edition commemorative Pepsi MAX can in honor of the Steelers’ 80th anniversary, available throughout Pennsylvania beginning in the fall.

“We can’t wait to begin working closely with the Steelers, one of the NFL’s most iconic franchises, and be part of such a celebrated team with some of the league’s most passionate fans,” said PepsiCo North America Beverages Chief Marketing Officer Simon Lowden. “Our vast portfolio of food and beverage products will bring a lot of enjoyment to the Steelers’ community and we’re looking forward to partnering closely with the team on new initiatives. The Steelers organization is topnotch and shares our creative marketing vision.”

“We are excited about our new partnership with PepsiCo – a world-class company with a unique understanding of sports and what football fans want,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. ”I’m sure our fans will enjoy the many promotions that we will have through our relationship with PepsiCo, which this year includes a commemorative 80th Season can that will be part of celebrating a significant year in Steelers history. We are thrilled to start this new partnership and look forward to making it entertaining for our fans to enjoy all of PepsiCo’s products.”

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The Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) kept up their push for a home playoff spot with a 14-3 victory over AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns (4-9). Despite putting together a strong opening drive, with quarterback Colt McCoy passing accurately off of play action, and hitting receivers Evan Moore and Josh Cribbs for big gains, they were stopped short of the touchdown by a dominant Steelers defense, and had to settle for a field goal.

Pittsburgh responded by putting together a similarly impressive drive which culminated in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jericho Cotchery, largely thanks to Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to keep plays alive for longer than almost any other quarterback.

Turnovers then dominated the game, firstly with veteran receiver Hines Ward fumbling and losing possession for the Steelers, then McCoy threw a pass straight into the hands of Troy Polamalu to turnover any advantage Cleveland had gained. Pittsburgh then choked up another turnover, this time Heath Miller fumbling after a reception, all of which was made worse by a seemingly game-ending ankle injury to Roethlisberger.

But true to his personality, ‘Big Ben’ came back onto the pitch, and wrapped up the game for the Steelers late in the fourth quarter when he threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to in-form wide receiver Antonio Brown, who finished the game with 151 yards on five receptions.

Pittsburgh linebacker Jason Worilds also had a good game, collecting two sacks and a forced fumble as he continues to put in the performances which are beginning to suggest he may be the long term replacement for James Harrison when he eventually retires.

The Browns meanwhile have little to be pleased about, McCoy, a quarterback under pressure, threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, and questions will persist over whether McCoy is the long term answer for this franchise. In addition to their stuttering passing game, their running game proved no more fruitful, with neither Chris Ogbonnaya, Peyton Hillis or Montario Hardesty rushing for over 31 yards.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) kept pace with divisional rivals the Baltimore Ravens with an emphatic victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (7-5), effectively ending the Bengals’ hopes of winning the A.F.C. North.

The Bengals were still without key players Carlos Dunlap and Nate Clements for their important trip to Heinz Field, whilst the Steelers were boosted by the news that Troy Polamalu was able to play after fears he had suffered a concussion in their previous game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The first quarter ended scoreless as both teams failed to make anything happen concerning offense, and both defenses performed well, suffocating anything the opposition offense had to offer. Cincinnati came the closest to breaking the deadlock when Jermaine Gresham thought he collected a touchdown pass from Andy Dalton; however, the play was called back for a false start.

The Bengals then thought they had taken the lead when they successfully kicked a field goal a minute later, but again faced disappointment in the form of penalization for a delay of game, as well as the moment the Steelers blocked the subsequent kick.

The game exploded into life in the second quarter, however, with Rashard Mendenhall rapidly moving Pittsburgh into a 14-point lead with two rushing touchdowns, followed by Mike Wallace grabbing a 12-yard pass for the Steelers’ third touchdown in a span of just over four minutes.

The Bengals sparked hopes of a comeback when rookies Dalton and A. J. Green linked up for a 11-yard touchdown pass, but these hopes were soon extinguished when Antonio Brown ran in a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown just before the half, extending Pittsburgh’s lead back to 21 points.

Ben Roethlisberger wrapped up the scoring in the third quarter when he found Wallace for a 19-yard touchdown pass and the receivers’ second touchdown of the game. Roethlisberger went on to finish with 176 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions on his 23 attempted passes.

Another standout Steeler was defensive linchpin James Harrison, who looked quite the frightening form as he registered three sacks on the usually well-protected Dalton. Cornerback Ike Taylor was also in imperious form for Pittsburgh, putting in seven tackles as well as picking up an interception, as he helped the Steelers to a strong defensive performance.

The Bengals, who have enjoyed a good season, have now lost both their games against the Steelers and are unlikely to be able to challenge either the Steelers or the Ravens at the top of the A.F.C. North, but with outstanding youngsters like Dalton and Green, Head Coach Marvin Lewis can be optimistic about Cincinnati’s chances of upsetting those perennial power houses in one of the most competitive divisions of the N.F.L.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) suffered a devastating loss to the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) during a 23-20 defeat to their bitter rivals at Heinz Field, as they gave up top spot in the AFC North.

Whilst the Ravens were still missing wide receiver Lee Evans, guard Ben Grubbs was able to return to duty, and they had no new major injury concerns, unlike the Steelers.  Pittsburgh did welcome back James Harrison after he recovered from his eye injury, but were without linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Farrior for this crucial match.

Baltimore almost made the perfect start when Ray Rice found a hole on the Ravens first possession, and ran for a 76-yard touchdown, only for a flag to be thrown for holding by wide receiver Torrey Smith. The Ravens did take the lead soon after however, with the Steelers holding them out despite being on the one-yard line, and Baltimore had to make do with a field goal from Billy Cundiff.

Both teams proceeded to trade field goals and ended the second quarter with Baltimore leading 9-6. As predicted, both teams’ defenses seemed to be dominating the play, and limiting the opposition to field goals.

With the Steelers advancing down the field, and finding a couple of big gains through the air, it felt like only a matter of time before Ben Roethlisberger found someone for a touchdown pass, but then the veteran quarterback threw a ball straight at Terrel Suggs, and the linebacker picked up the interception.

The drive following Suggs’ interception was turned into a touchdown when Ike Turner was called for pass interference on Anquan Boldin, which brought the Ravens to the 10-yard line, and Rice had no trouble finding a hole and getting the touchdown, making it 16-6 to Baltimore.

Pittsburgh hit back in similar fashion however, going on an 80-yard drive, which culminated in Rashard Mendenhall going over for a one-yard touchdown, and cutting the Ravens lead to three points with most of the fourth quarter left to play.

Roethlisberger then put the Steelers into the lead for the first time on the night, passing on the run to Mike Wallace for a 35-yard touchdown pass, making the score 20-16 to Pittsburgh. The Ravens were not finished though, and went on a 92-yard drive, and Joe Flacco found Smith in the endzone for a 26-yard touchdown pass, securing the win for the visitors with just eight seconds left to play.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin will be disheartened with the loss, but can be content with the performance of Roethlisberger, as the quarterback continues from where he left off against the Patriots last week.

The Ravens, who have now recorded a sweep over the Steelers this year, will be encouraged by the return of Grubbs and the solidity that he brought to an offensive line which has been heavily criticised so far this season. Flacco’s proficiency on third down, and his contributions to the game-winning drive, will also have pleased Offensice Coordinator Cam Cameron, even if there are still large question marks over the quarterback.

The Steelers will head into Week 10 having to play AFC North surprise package the Cincinnati Bengals, and will need to maintain their focus after emotionally charged matches with rivals New England Patriots and the Ravens. The Ravens, meanwhile, will travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks, and will be fairly confident of getting the win but will need to ensure they do not slip up in the same way they did two weeks ago against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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